MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — For strictly personal reasons, Texas Tech week may be the least favorite for West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen.
To win means doing so at the expense of protégé Kliff Kingsbury. When Kingsbury was setting passing records at Texas Tech from 2000-02, Holgorsen was the receivers coach. Holgorsen later convinced Kingsbury to join the coaching game as an assistant at Houston in 2008.
“The hard thing in this profession is you develop so many friendships, and then when you’re in the same conference it makes it kind of tough,” Holgorsen said. “I wish them well in every game they play but one, and this happens to be the one.”
Kingsbury bested his mentor the first time they met in 2013, but Holgorsen and the Mountaineers have won the four ensuing games.
Kingsbury has the No. 25 Red Raiders (3-1, 1-0) back in the AP poll after last week’s 41-17 win at Oklahoma State. Texas Tech’s fortune has been tied closely to true freshman quarterback Alan Bowman, who leads the nation with 389 passing yards per game.
Holgorsen has seen Kingsbury do this before with freshmen named Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes, so he’s not the least bit surprised.
“[Bowman’s] being coached by one of the best that’s ever done it,” Holgorsen said. “Kliff was in that position himself as a young kid before we got to Texas Tech. He has that experience. He knows what he’s talking about.
“It’s not the first young kid that he’s had to deal with. It’s not surprising at all. If you get coached up by Kliff, you’ll be ready to go.”
Mountaineers favored
No. 12 West Virginia (3-0, 1-0) opened as a 6-point favorite against the Red Raiders but bettors quickly pulled down the line to 4.5.
Kansas kickoff at noon
West Virginia’s Oct. 6 homecoming game against Kansas will kick off at noon and is slated for broadcast on either ESPN 2 or ESPNU.
Oklahoma State WR to transfer
The NCAA’s new rule allowing players to claim a redshirt season if they play four games or fewer is already being exploited. Oklahoma State receiver Jalen McCleskey announced he will redshirt the rest of the season and transfer to a new program next year.
The senior has 167 catches for 1,865 yards and 17 touchdowns in his career.
According to Cowboys coach Mike Gundy, McCleskey decided to leave because he wasn’t getting the ball enough. Through four games, McCleskey was second on the team with 15 receptions for 155 yards and two scores.
Gundy said the loophole should be addressed moving forward. His concern isn’t limiting players from transferring, but having it count against his program’s available scholarships moving forward.
“I would say the adjustment is we might want to think about players being able to use it in their first and second year rather than third and fourth based on how NCAA evaluates us from a scholarship limit and APR standpoint,” Gundy said. “If they want to have such an open transfer policy, I’m good with it. But they need to adjust so we don’t end up losing three or four numbers in a spring or fall semester.”
McCleskey caught 11 passes and a touchdown against West Virginia in 2016.
Kempt should return by WVU game
Iowa State quarterback Kyle Kempt, who has missed the last two games with a knee injury, should be back on the field by the time the Cyclones host West Virginia on Oct. 13.
Cyclones coach Matt Campbell says the prognosis is good for a return within the next two weeks, but it’s a matter of seeing what Kempt can do on the practice field.